Weekend Cooking: Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook

DeDe Lahman and Neil Kleinberg own a thirty-two seat restaurant, Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant, in New York City.  The food is so good people come from all over to stand in line to get inside.  Many of the restaurant’s regulars have begged for their recipes, so they’ve created a wonderful new cookbook, Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch and Beyond.  The recipes are divided into Biscuits, Muffins & Scones, Pancakes, Soups, The Sandwich King & Queen, Fried Chicken, Sides, Condiments, Dessert, and Drinks, and I have to tell you, every single recipe in this book looks great.  I love that restaurant tricks, common mistakes, and notes are included with recipes when appropriate, and I learned that there are times I should be using the convection feature on my oven.  There are lots of gorgeous color photographs included, but there isn’t one for each recipe.

I decided to try the pumpkin cheesecake recipe for our Thanksgiving dessert and it was declared a winner.  It had the texture of a New York style cheesecake and turned out beautifully.  The instructions were clear and easy to follow.  I was very pleased with the results and plan to try several other recipes, including Maple Walnut Cookies, Hash Browns, and Buttermilk Streusel Coffee Cake.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Makes one 10-inch cake

Graham cracker crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake batter
1½ cups (three 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree, room temperature
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 10-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Make the crust:  Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Stir in the melted butter until all the ingredients are well mixed.
3. Turn the crust mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly over the bottom (but not up the sides).  Press down firmly to form a crust.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the crust from the oven and, let cool, while you start on the cheesecake batter.  Turn down the oven temperature to 325ºF.
5. Make the batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and spice until smooth.  Add the pumpkin puree and heavy cream and mix until well combined.
6. Add the eggs one at a time, until the mixture is smooth.  Do not overmix.
7. Assemble the cheesecake: Pour the batter over the baked crust.
8. Bake for 1 hour in a water bath.
9. Turn off the oven, prop open the oven door, and allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes.  Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the fridge overnight.
10. Cut with a hot knife and serve.

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Review copy provided by Hachette Books.  I am an Indiebound Affiliate.